


No Turning Back (Unless You're Me)

by StupidGenius



Series: The Flash and That Spark Kid [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Cisco is there for him, Multi, Stiles kind of has a small panic attack but it's okay, Time Travel, no one is the flash verse is straight okay lets just get that clear, some background ships, some shit happens and then it doesn't, yeah there's hella angst in this one my dudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-14 14:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16041929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidGenius/pseuds/StupidGenius
Summary: Stiles throws his hands up. “Look, Snow – I’m not saying we’re right, exactly. But I’ve had a bad feeling about that man since I met him, and generally, my feelings aren’t wrong.Trust me. I’ve tested it before.”“You know, I read your file, before you and Barry were brought here for treatment.” Caitlin says suddenly. “They said…they said that nearly fifteen percent of your body is covered in scar tissue. Which I thought was ridiculous. I mean – you’re just a kid. They were talking like you’d been to war, which is impossible. But hearing you talk now…what happened in your hometown that made you so dis-trustful?”---Sometimes, Stiles hates being right.





	1. Out Of Time

**Author's Note:**

> When i first started writing this series, I had planned on eventual Westhallen, but now i'm torn. Olivarry, Thallen, or Barrisco????? I love them all and i can't choose. I ship Barry with a lot of people, so I'm surprised i managed to narrow it down to just 3.
> 
> (Also my best friend got me into true blood and I’m reading everything with a southern accent lol)
> 
> Edit: I haven’t narrowed it down, hence why the next part is not up yet! It was going to like an interlude in which barry goes on a date finally but???????
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know i said i would post this tomorrow, but i finished it early and wanted to share. if you have not seen the Flash ep 1x15, be warned: that ep is what this fic is based on
> 
> This chapter is in Stiles' POV!

Stiles drums his fingers against the steering wheel nervously, chewing on his lower lip.

It’s been about ten months since he first moved to Central, now, and in that time, he hasn’t really seen any members of the pack – _his_ pack. He’s spoken to Scoot on the phone a bunch of times, and He’s skyped with Allison before, but…they’re not really his pack anymore, are they? He can feel the absence of his pack, a dull ache in his chest that he never payed much mind to until now. He knows Derek can feel this ten times over, though he doesn’t really like to talk about it.

_ Cora: _

_ We’re here _

_ Where’s your crap car _

Stiles grins. He’s too excited to defend his baby at the moment. He hops out of the car, looking around. It’s not a particularly crowded day, there’s no way he could miss –

“Stiles!” A familiar voice calls. He turns quickly to the left, and beams, breaking into a run. Lydia meets him halfway, practically jumping on him. the ache in his chest lessens as he buries his face in her neck.

“I missed you so much, Lyds.” He breathes. She laughs.

“Of course you did. I’m amazing.” She says. He lets her go, and she smiles up at him. Being away from Beacon Hills has done her good.

“Where’s my brother?” Cora wonders. He doesn’t hug her, but she does bump his shoulder – she, like Derek, isn’t really into the big touches.

“He’s at work. Couldn’t exactly tell his manager that his pack was coming for a visit.” He sighs. “Luckily, _my_ boss actually likes me. I’ve got today off.”

“Excellent. Which means there plenty of time to shop with me.” Lydia says. She shoves her very _large_ luggage in his direction with an expectant look on her face. He raises an eyebrow. “You don’t really expect me to put this in your car myself, do you? It probably weighs more than I do.”

“Jeez, Lyds, you’re going to be here for less than two weeks – what the hell did you out in here?”

“It’s…both of our clothes.” Cora grunts. Stiles stares at them.

“You guys are…?”

“Yes. We are.” Lydia brushes her hair back off her shoulder. Cora smirks.

“Alright. Awesome.” He says honestly. “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Good.” Lydia hops into the passenger seat, and Cora rolls her eyes and grabs the luggage.

“I’ll take care of this.” She insists. “I doubt your weak arms would be able to lift this anyway.”

“I’m a police officer!” He squawks. She just grins, fangs and all, and effortlessly tosses the suitcase into the trunk. He huffs, getting in and starting the car.

The ride from the airport back to the loft is nice. Lydia catches him up on how things are going at MIT – amazing, of course, she’s a genius. Cora tells him about her trip around Europe, and how she went to visit Lydia a few months ago and decided to stay. It’s nice, having them close again. It’s not so great that he can’t tell them about his, um. _Nightly activities_. But he made himself a promise – no getting them involved until they’re done with college. He doesn’t want to risk them leaving to help him and throwing their futures away. Though, Cora does comment on how he ‘smells like a storm’ with squinty eyes.

“I got struck by _lightning_ , Cora. It had some lasting effects.” He says. Which, technically, isn’t a lie. He’s pretty sure the whole ‘can control and create electricity’ thing is a lasting effect.

“So,” Lydia starts, when they’re finally inside the loft, “When do we get to meet your new friends?”

“Well, ah. I’d really like you to meet Felicity – she’s a genius, just like you, went to MIT actually, you’ll love her. But she lives in Starling City, I don’t know when she’s free to drive up. We could probably go see Cisco and Caitlin today at STAR Labs, if you want? But I thought this would be more of a, ah. Pack bonding thing?” He says. Lydia’s eyes light up.

“STAR Labs? Where the particle accelerator exploded?” She asks. He nods.

“Caitlin and Cisco worked there, before it all went down. And, I guess they still do? I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure. But they’re definitely there right now. And then we can swing by the station later and say hi to Barry and Eddie. If you want.” He winces. “Actually, I should probably swing by anyway. Coroner was murdered last night – it’s Eddie and Joe’s case, but still.” He mostly wants to see if Barry’s okay – he’d seemed pretty spooked by whatever he saw while he was running last night.

Lydia watches him from the counter, expression thoughtful.

“You know, I’ve heard a lot of rumors about things happening in Central City over the last few months. That the Particle Accelerator…changed people. Heard the word metahuman get tossed around a lot. Do you know anything about that?”

“Yeah, actually. Our city kind of has two pretty popular metas.” He admits. He knows he has to be careful here. Cora would be able to hear a lie. He’s trained himself to control his heartbeat somewhat over the years, but still. “The Flash and the Spark have left a lot of criminals on our doorstep.”

“Have you ever met them? Are you sure they’re not witches? Or something else supernatural?” Cora asks. He shakes his head.

“Derek’s been near them before.” Truth. “He promised me they smell totally human.” Truth.

Totally human…with a bit of ozone thrown in. Not that Cora needs to know that.

“Was the thing about the giant Gorilla true? Derek mentioned it, but I feel like he was just messing with me.” Cora asks, skeptical. Stiles winces.

Grodd was, without a doubt, the worst thing they’ve been up against so far. And he’d had to fight Caitlin’s _nuclear fiancé_ once.

“Yeah. That was real. Unfortunately. But nothing we couldn’t handle. Still a lot better than Beacon Hills used to be.”

“Hmm.” Lydia hums. She slides off the stool, slinging her purse over her shoulder and looping her arm through his. “Alright. Take us to meet this Barry first – you’ve been talking about him for over a year and I still don’t even know what he looks like. Plus, no offense, but I hate how you decorated this place.”

“Ah, Lydia. Light of my life. My goddess. How I have missed your insults and jabs.” He sighs, pressing a hand to his heart. She swats his shoulder.

Just like old times.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He gets to the station just in time to catch Joe and Barry jogging down the entrance steps. He hurries over to them.

“Hey!” He calls. Barry turns around, eyebrows raised in confusion.

“Stiles, hey. I thought today was your day off? Aren’t a few of your friends visiting?” He asks. Stiles nods.

“Yeah, actually. And they really wanted to meet you.” He steps aside, gesturing towards them. “Barry, this beautiful genius before you is Lydia. And beside her is Cora, Derek’s little sister. Guys, this Barry Allen. He’s the CSI of the Central City Police Department, and one of my best friends, so please, _please_ play nice.” He begs. Lydia just grins, sharp and calculating. She holds a hand out.

“Pleasure.” She says, shaking his hand firmly. Barry glances at Stiles, still looking very confused, and now, nervous.

“Um, thank you? I’ve heard a lot about you.” He says. “And, Cora – you look a lot like Derek.”

She really doesn’t. Unless you count their terminal case of resting bitch face (poor Derek), which Barry definitely must be.

“We’ve heard a lot about you.” Lydia continues, glancing at Joe. “Both of you. Just wanted to meet the reason my best friend moved so far away.”

“Lyds.” Stiles groans. She rolls her eyes.

“Oh, relax. It’s not like I’m going to eat him.”

“…speaking of eating…” Barry starts cautiously. “We’re actually going out to lunch right now. Probably Big Belly Burger. You guys wanna come with?”

“You guys have a place called Big Belly Burger?” Cora raises an eyebrow.

“They’re everywhere now.” Stiles shrugs. “But, actually, Bar, I don’t think we can. Just wanted to stop by real quick to say hi. I’m gonna show Lydia around STAR, if Cisco and Caitlin don’t mind…and if Wells isn’t there.” He adds quickly. Barry sighs. He’s been uncertain of Wells from the start, but now he knows it’s not exactly unfounded. He doesn’t trust that man around his pack – especially not any of the more breakable members.

“I guess I’ll see you later then. Um, nice meeting you guys.” Barry gives the girls a small wave before turning back and jogging over to Joe. Lydia watches after him.

“Not bad.”

“He smelled like another werewolf.” Cora says quietly. Stiles slaps a hand against his forehead.

“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. A friend of his is actually a werewolf? I would have mentioned it sooner, but he lives in Starling too, so we don’t see him too often.” God, he’s really off today, isn’t he? Something feels…wrong, almost. Not bad. But different. Not entirely good either. He thought, maybe, it was just nerves, since two huge parts of his world would be colliding today. But the feeling has stuck with him.

“We’re not going to stand around here all day, are we?” Lydia asks, raising one perfect brow. Stiles huffs.

“No. I was just thinking. About a case.” He twirls his keys.

“Good. Then let’s get to STAR Labs. I’ve read a lot about Dr. Wells. Have you gotten the chance to spend a lot of time with him?” She asks.

“He was there when you woke up from the coma, wasn’t he?” Cora wonders. Stiles grits his teeth.

“Um. Yeah, he was. And I have spoken to him some, but…not much. He’s busy today, so you probably won’t be seeing him. Sorry Lyds.”

She narrows her eye sat him. Shit.

“That’s fine. I’m mostly here to see you anyway.” She says after a moment. “But I _do_ want to meet this Dr. Snow you mentioned last week.”

“And she’ll be thrilled – she loves having other genius women in the lab.” He throws an arm over each of their shoulders with a grin. “This is gonna be fun.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

He drops Cora off at Jitters to see Derek – she’s a lot less interested in seeing the lab than she is in seeing her brother in person for the first time in years. Its understandable. Lydia, however, is okay with waiting until later tonight to see him. She’d been itching to get to Central since before Stiles even reconnected with Barry. The particle accelerator had come up in conversation a few times. It’s part of what prompted Stiles to search for Barry in the first place.

By the time they get there, Barry is already in the Cortex with Cisco and Caitlin, huddled close.

“…did you tell her?” He hears Cisco ask. Barry shrugs.

“That she’s wrong. And she is.” He turns around. “Oh! Hey Stiles, and…Lydia, right?” He guesses.

“Oh, Barry. Do you work here too?” She cocks her head to the side. “How did you get here so fast? Didn’t you say you and your father were going out for lunch?”

“U-um…” Barry stutters. “We were just…it was drive through. Yeah. Super quick. I just got here a few minutes ago, actually.”

“Right.” Stiles says dryly. “Anyway – guys, this is my best friend, Lydia Martin. Lyds, meet Cisco Ramon and doctor Caitlin Snow. Caitlin –”

“Saved you.” Lydia finishes, smiling warmly. “I’m glad I get to thank the woman who saved Stiles’ life in person.”

“Oh, it was nothing. I mean – it wasn’t _nothing_. We just knew we were better equipped to treat him here. Or, Dr. Wells did.” She blushes. “Martin, you said? I’ve heard alto about you. Stiles mentioned that you’re studying at MIT?”

“I am. Mostly mathematics, though I’m minoring in mythology and physics.” She says. Stiles watches them discuss science he can’t possibly begin to understand with a fond smile on his face. Barry nudges him.

“Cisco made something that might help with Mardon.” He whispers. Stiles frowns.

“Clyde Mardon? Isn’t he still down in the pipeline?”

“No, his brother.” Cisco raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t joe and Barry tell you?”

“No.” Stiles crosses his arms over his chest. At least Barry has the decency to look somewhat guilty. “No, they did not. What’s going on, exactly?”

“Clyde had an older brother – Mark Mardon. We all thought he died the night the accelerator exploded, but he survived. That murder last night? It was him. the coroner was killed by hail _in doors_ , and we have a recording with Mark’s voice on it. It looks like he and his brother got similar powers that night.”

“I started working on this when you guys found Clyde.” Cisco holds out something that looks like a bit like a high-tech claw from a claw machine, but smaller. Stiles raises his eyebrows expectantly.

“What is it?”

“I call it the weather wand.” He says excitedly. “Basically it just…kind of sucks energy out of the air like a sponge.”

“It sucks out energy?”

“Not yours – storm energy, if that makes sense. It shouldn’t have any affect on your abilities.” He assures.

“And you’re sure this’ll stop him?” Stiles asks. Cisco nods.

“It’ll slow him down at least. No way for him to control the weather with this thing around.”

“Have I ever told you how amazing you are, Cisco?” Stiles sighs. He beams.

“Every day, man.”

“Good. Barry, I’ll talk to you about keeping shit from me later.”

“I _wasn’t_ – I just didn’t want call you and risk your friends listening in.” Barry whispers. “You said that Cora’s a werewolf, and you don’t want them to know about you night job.”

“Still. You could have, I don’t know. Texted or something.” He huffs.

“What are you two whispering about?” Lydia says suddenly, appearing beside them. Cisco holds out a hand.

“Just work stuff, I think. I’m Cisco. But, ah, you already knew that, right, Stiles just introduced us to you. I’m the tech guy.” He grins, grabbing her hand.

She pulls back like she’s been burned, eyes wide.

Oh no. He recognizes that face.

Its tense and quiet for a moment before she lets out a small, shaky laugh. Stiles swallows thickly.

“S-sorry,” Lydia shakes out her hand and smiles sweetly, “Just. Static shock, I guess. Nice to meet you, Cisco.”

“You too…” he frowns.

“Are you okay? You look kind of pale.” Barry asks her.

“I’m fine.” She says resolutely. “Stiles. Can I speak to you for a moment? I just totally forgot there was something you dad wanted me to tell you when I got here.” She smiles reassuringly at them all before grabbing his arm and pulling him off into the hallway. He lays a hand gently on her shoulder.

“What did you see?” he asks softly.

“I – I don’t know. It was all…blurry. Like I was shaking. But Stiles – Cisco is in danger.” She grips his hand tight. “This felt different. It’s not like the other ones, but I can’t – I don’t know why. I keep hearing this _whooshing_ sound.” She lets out a shaky breath. “Like something fast is moving around me.”

Shit.

“I’ll look after Cisco.” He decides. “I’ll drop him off at the station, and then I’m taking you back to the loft. This is supposed to be a vacation for you.”

“But, Stiles –”

“No buts.” He says firmly. “You’ve already done everything you can for him. Let me take care of the rest. Just…tell Derek I’m going to be late for dinner, okay?”

“You were there too.” She whispers, eyes glassy. Fear turns his blood icy.

“What?”

“When I touched him. everything else was blurry, but you…you were _there_. I know it was you.” She reaches up and pulls him into a tight hug. “Promise me you’ll be safe, okay? I almost lost you once – I can’t take it a second time.”

“I promise.”

It’s a promise he’s not sure he can keep, but he’ll try.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You’ve been acting really weird since we left.” Cisco blurts. Stiles tenses.

They’re currently in the elevator of the CCPD, ‘Weather Wand’ in Cisco’s hand so he can give it to Joe. Stiles dropped Lydia off only a few minutes ago.

“I’m not sure what you mean, dude.”

“ _Yes_ , you do.” He insists as the doors open. “Ever since I shook that girl’s hand, you’ve been _weird_. Tense. Like right now. Your shoulders are practically in your _ears_ , man. What’s up?”

“Nothing, Cisco. Just – I have a bad feeling, okay?” he admits. He pushes forward. “There’s Joe. Come on.”

“Hey, boys.” Joe raises an eyebrow in question, pointing at the wand. “What’s this?”

“I call it the weather wand!” Cisco hands it to him. “Keep it handy. It should help with Mardon.”

“Um, thank you? I’m assuming you’ll explain how it works – in English, so my simple mind can actually understand?”

“Uh, yeah.” Cisco pauses. “Um. Actually. Now that I’ve got you both here…I know there’s a lot going on right now, but…” he takes a deep breath. “You mentioned Dr. Wells might have had something to do with Barry’s mother’s murder. And you, Stiles – you’ve hated him from the start. Why is that?”

“What?” Stiles breathes. “Joe, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It... doesn’t matter. I was wrong.” Joe says. Cisco shakes his head.

“But you seemed _really_ sure of it.”

“Look, Cisco, I can’t talk about this right now, okay?”

“Why not?” Stiles says angrily. “I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this from me. Does Barry know?”

“Not right now.” Joe sighs. “Just – I’ve very busy right now. And it’s your day off, Stiles. We can all talk about this tomorrow.” He turns away from them before either of them can speak. Stiles scoffs.

“Great. More secrets. That’s just what this team needs.

“You haven’t answered me either, Stiles. Why do you hate being around Wells so much? What has he ever done to you that’s so terrible?” Cisco asks as they make their way back to the elevator.

“It’s just…a _feeling_ , alright?”

“What, like the one that’s had you trailing around me like a dog for the past hour?” He rolls his eyes. “You’re starting to sound like my mom, with all her _brujería_ nonsense.”

“Okay, first of all? I don’t know what that means? But just trust me, okay? I…” he trails off as someone exiting the elevator passes him.

That guy looks familiar.

Like, in a _bad_ way.

“Oh no.” Cisco breathes. The doors are already closing in front of them.

“What? Who was that?” He ask. Cisco fumbles with his phone. “Cisco!”

“Mark Mardon.” He finally gets out. “We have to call Barry.”

The building around them shakes, and the lights licker. The elevator halts, rattling them.

“No no _no_.” Stiles breathes, breath quickening. “This can’t be happening. This cannot. Be. _Happening_.” He bangs a fist against the closed doors. “Hello!”

He can feel it singing to him, just like the first time he and Barry teamed up against a Mardon, just like every time he’s been outside during a storm since the accelerator. The lightning. The charge in the air. He can feel it building above him.

The walls feel like they’re closing in on him. He closes his eyes and he sees water all around him. Cold. _Ice_. Lydia’s face, distorted, her voice, calling –

“Stiles!” Cisco repeats urgently. “Hey, man calm down! Barry’s on his way, okay, just – there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“I…” he looks around, frantic. A crash comes from somewhere above them, and the lightning sings _so loud_. He presses his hands to his ears. “I’m – I can’t –”

“Are you claustrophobic?” Cisco asks gently. Stiles never thought so, before, but then again – he’s never been stuck in an elevator before.

So much is happening right now.

What if this is it? This where Cisco dies, just like Lydia sw earlier, and – he’s here too, he couldn’t prevent it, he -

“Its okay.” Cisco says softly. “Barry should be here by now – we’re going to be alright.” He pulls out his phone. “Look, I’m – I’m telling him where we are. We’re going to get out. Okay?”

“Y-yeah.” Stiles croaks. He sits back, on the floor. The lightning song vanishes, abruptly. “Um. I think I’m okay.”

“Are you sure, bud? Because you were kind of freaking me out a second ago.” Cisco asks. Stiles nods, feeling shaky.

“Yeah. Just…yeah. Bad memories. Sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” The elevator screeches, suddenly, and starts moving again. Cisco whoops. “Yes!”

Stiles breathes out a sigh of relief.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Back at STAR Labs, Stiles sits in silence and watches Cisco flit about, clearly lost in thought. The bad feeling that’s stuck with him since this morning still hasn’t gone away, and he’d felt too axhausted to drive back to his loft, so he offered to stay at STAR labs for a while.

“What are you two still doing here?” Caitlin asks, startling him. Stiles shrugs, and she turns towards where Cisco is typing away at a tablet. “Cisco?”

“I’m busy, Cait.”

“Hey,” She puts a hand on his arm. “You couldn’t have stopped Mardon from attacking the police station. It’s not your fault.” She glances at Stiles. “It’s not _either_ of your faults. Don’t blame yourselves.”

“No, I know, that’s not it…” Cisco looks between them. “What do _you_ think of Dr. Wells?”

“What do you mean?” Caitlin asks.

“I _mean_ , do you think he’s capable of doing something bad? Because Stiles seems to. Don’t deny it.” Cisco points at him. Stiles sighs tiredly.

“Cisco – ”

“Is this because of what Barry said he heard?” She sighs. Stiles frowns.

“What did he hear?”

“Another journalist told Iris that wells was the last person to see Simon Stag alive. She thinks he might have something to do with his disappearance.” Caitlin turns around. “Ever since the particle accelerator exploded, there’s always been someone out there who’s had it in for Wells.” Cisco follows after her, and Stiles drags himself out of his cozy chair to see what’s going on.

“No, no, it’s more than that. Joe thinks maybe Wells was somehow involved in Barry’s mom’s death and her murder.” Cisco sits down at his desk, typing at a keyboard. Cait pauses, eyes going wide.

“That’s… _absurd_.” She breathes.

“Yeah, I know, that’s what _I_ said. And we proved that that wasn’t the case, but...some things aren’t adding up.” Cisco tells her.

“Like what, exactly?” She asks. He turns back to his computer.

“Look at this.” He says. Stiles hurries over, looking over his shoulder. “The night we trapped the reverse-Flash in the force-field, he escaped because the containment system failed, but I checked that data _three times_ , and the super-capacitors were still fully charged when he got out.” He sighs in frustration. “the numbers don’t add up. There’s no reason that the containment system should have failed.”

“Why didn’t I know about this?” Stiles asks, leaning back. “Cisco, this is – this is _important information_! Does Barry know about this? Or is this another secret we’re keeping form him?”

“I’m sorry, I just – I needed to be sure.” Cisco looks up at him. “You already hate Wells. What if I told you this when I first found out, then what? What were you gonna do, dude? Just go after him yourself, without any evidence? We still don’t know what Wells’ involvement is.”

Stiles remains silent, and Cisco rolls his eyes. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation.” Caitlin says hesitantly.

“One ‘perfectly good explanation’ is that Wells did something to the trap.” Stiles says quietly. Cisco nods. Caitlin shakes her head in disbelief.

“Are you two _really_ suggesting that Dr. Wells is _in league_ with the Man in the Yellow Suit? We all saw that thing nearly kill him that night!”

“Nearly being the key word!” Stiles throws his hands up. “Look, snow – I’m not saying we’re right, exactly. But I’ve had a bad feeling about that man since I met him, and generally, my feelings aren’t wrong. _Trust me_. I’ve tested it before.”

“You know, I read your file, before you and Barry were brought here for treatment.” She says suddenly. “They said…they said that nearly fifteen percent of your body is covered in scar tissue. Which I thought was ridiculous. I mean – you’re just a kid. They were talking like you’d been to war, which is impossible. But hearing you talk now…what happened in your hometown that made you so dis-trustful?”

He looks away.

“Please, Cait.” Cisco starts. “Can you keep Wells out of STAR Labs tomorrow morning? I just. I need  to know.”

She glances between then, uncertain.

“Alright.” She says after a moment, softly. “I’ll do it.”

She leaves right after, the sound of her heels clicking disappearing in the hallway. Stiles runs a hand through his hair and checks his phone.

“I should probably get down to the hospital. Check on the captain. I’ll call Derek to come get me.” He sighs, turning to leave.

“Hey Stiles?” Cisco calls. He pauses.

“Yeah?”

“I…I hope we’re wrong about Dr. Wells.” His voice shakes. Stiles sucks in a breath.

“I know, buddy.”

For the first time since he moved here…he _really_ hopes he’s wrong.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The hospital visit doesn’t go great. It wasn’t exactly how he was hoping to meet the captain’s boyfriend – now fiancé, apparently. He was exhausted, and tense, and angry, and Derek nearly had to physically restrain him when that doctor almost didn’t let Singh’s fiancé see him. They get home around one AM, and despite how tired he is, he doesn’t end up drifting off until sometime around three. He wakes up feeling worse than before around nine, and gets dressed slowly. He has a later shift today, thankfully, which should give him enough tome to get some coffee and check up on Cisco before he has to be at the station.

He’s already at STAR Labs, two cups of coffee in hand, when Derek calls.

“Hey, babe.” Stiles grins. “What are you doing up? Normally you sleep like the dead until noon.”

“You weren’t here.” Derek grumbles. “I thought your shift started at three.”

“Couldn’t sleep. I’m at STAR, just wanted to see if Cisco needed help with anything.” He says, pushing open the main entrance door with his shoulder. He starts for the stairs to the cortex, phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder. Outside, thunder rumbles.

“You hardly slept last night.” Derek sighs. “You’ll be back for lunch before work, right?” Stiles walks through the cortex towards where they’re keeping the containment system.

“Of course. This won’t take long, Worrywolf.” He huffs. “I’m just…” he rounds the corner.

“…and in many ways, you have shown me what it’s like to have a son.” A voice says.

No, not just a voice.

 _Wells_.

Stiles gets there in time to see Well’s hand – vibrating, just like Barry does – pull back. And, in the blink of an eye, surge forward.

Through Cisco.

“ _NO_!” He screams, running forward. The coffee and his phone clatter to the ground, spilling, but he doesn’t care. He _doesn’t care_. He doesn’t even think about his powers, trying to tackle Wells to the ground – Wells, who shouldn’t even be _standing_. Who shouldn’t be able to move at lightning fast speeds away from him.

Cisco drops to the ground like his strings have been cut.

“Forgive me,” Wells says, “But to me, he’s been dead for centuries.”

“Cisco!” Stiles shouts, turning him over.

There are tear tracks on his cheeks. His eyes are open. Unseeing.

“No,” Stiles breathes, breath catching in his throat. A scream rings in his ears. Something pushes through his back, and he chokes.

“You’ve never liked me, Stiles.” Wells says in his ear. Stiles closes his eyes. “You were right not to.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles drums his fingers against the steering wheel nervously, chewing on his lower lip.

It’s been about ten months since he first moved to Central.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the most popular Barry ship in my last fic was ColdFlash, which i wasn't actually expecting? I hadn't even considered it until now, so i wont be including it in this series, sorry! i might write some ColdFlash in the future, though. If i can get into it.


	2. Restart the Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And then he runs. He runs as fast as he’s ever dared to run before. He thinks about the first night he wore the suit. Fighting a different Mardon. With Stiles at his side, he didn’t need to risk his life running to unravel the tornado. But Stiles isn’t here now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2!
> 
> somehow there's more sterek in this chapter even though it's not even Stiles' POV

_“Barry, I need to talk to you.” Caitlin says frantically into the phone. Barry looks out at the water. The storm brewing above it and the wave coming right for the city._ His _city._

 _“I don’t – There’s a_ tsunami _heading straight for –”_

 _“Cisco is dead.” She sobs. He freezes. “S-Stiles too. I came in a few minutes ago and I saw them –_ oh god.”

_“What?” he croaks. Iris stares at him, eyes wide with fear and panic._

_“We…we don’t have time.” She whispers. Something that sounds like a broken howl comes from the other line, but he can’t focus on it. Can’t focus on anything. Two of his best friends are dead._

_Cisco and Stiles are_ dead.

 _“Listen to me.” Caitlin says urgently. “Barry?_ Barry!”

_“I-I’m here.” He gets out. Is this really happening?_

_“You said there’s a tsunami coming? You have to stop it before it reaches Central City. Stiles… we can talk about what happened later, as long as there_ is _a later. Running back and forth along the shore should create a wind barrier strong enough to stop the wave.”_

_“How fast do I need to go?”_

_“Barry…” She pauses. He can hear her sniffling. “I don’t think you_ can _run that fast.”_

_He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He doesn’t have much time._

_“This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.” He tells Iris._

_And then he runs. He runs as fast as he’s ever dared to run before. He thinks about the first night he wore the suit. Fighting a different Mardon. With Stiles at his side, he didn’t need to risk his life running to unravel the tornado. But Stiles isn’t here now._

_He runs faster than he ever has._

And now he’s…here?

He skids to a stop, looking around wildly. His heart is pounding in his ears. This is not the shore line.

He’s on the street. And it’s…night? It looks just like it did the night of the murder. The same man stand on one corner of the street, juggling a pointed sign that he doesn’t bother to read. The same woman misses yet another taxi. The same trio of dogs parking at their walker.

“No…” he breathes, confused. “No no… _what_?”

“ _Hey, what’s going on?_ ” Cisco says in his ear. He feels tears brimming in his eyes.

“Cisco?” he croaks.

“ _Yeah, dude. What’s up?_ ” Cisco replies. He’s _alive_.

“I…nothing. I-I’m here.” He blinks the tears away, looking down at his feet.

“ _Okay, well, what happened? Why’d you stop?_ ”

“I just…got a little disoriented.” He lies, taking a step back.

“ _Well, you need to make up some time, man. You better hurry up._ ”

“Right. Um. Hurry where?’ He asks. Cisco pauses.

“… _to the morgue_?”

“Wait, what? The morgue? I…I was just there yesterday.” He frowns.

“What are you talking about? Come on, dude, you gotta go!” Cisco urges. Barry shakes his head.

“Um, right.”

He speeds to the morgue and changes quickly just before entering – it all looks like it did that night, too. The same officers roam about, the same body lays dead on the floor, Joe comes up to him the same way wearing the same clothes and asking the same question;

“Hey Bar. What’s with all the water? Did the sprinkler system go off or something?” He asks. Barry stares at him. he feels like he can’t breathe, all of the sudden. What the _fuck_ is going on?

“What?” he breathes. He tries to remember what happened the last time. “Um. No. I – I checked the sprinklers. They’re all intact.” He clutches his bag to his chest and tries to breathe deep. “But, u-um, the water has ice in it.” He moves closer to the body. “And the bruises on the coroner aren’t just on his face. Check – look at his torso.” He crouches down slowly, trying to get his bearings. Joe lifts up the body’s shirt and gasps.

“Woah. How the hell did you know that?” He breathes, giving Barry a strange look.

“He was killed by hail.” Barry remembers standing up. “We have to listen to the recording.”

“Recording?” Joe asks.

“Joe! We got something.” Eddie rushes in, clearly excited – he has it, Barry already knows. “The coroner’s office just installed an automated dictation system. Listen to this.”

Barry presses his hands to his temples. This – this just _cannot_ be happening. Is he going to crazy? Is the lightning strike finally messing with his head? He feel like he’s not getting enough air. Is he? He runs his hands down his face, the recording playing in the background. He can feel Joe’s eyes on him.

“It’s Mark Mardon.” He blurts. “He wants revenge.” He tries to take a step back and stumbles into Joe instead. Eddie gives him a concerned look, reaching out.

“Hey, are you okay? Bar?”

‘ _No, I’m not_.’ He wants to say. ‘ _I’ve lived this day before. I know what happens. Mark kidnaps joe, Stiles and Cisco die, I_ kiss _Iris and then I try and stop a tsunami and run back in time, apparently._ ’ Right? That’s how it goes, isn’t?

“I just…I need some air.” He gets out. Joe pats his shoulder.

“Why don’t you just head home, son, okay? I think you’ve figured out all you can here.” He says. Barry nods.

He pauses outside the morgue and takes deep breaths.

He can figure this out.

He doesn’t go home. He runs to the apartment complex just a little ways past Jitters, straight up to a familiar door, and pounds on it frantically. After a moment, the door gets wrenched open.

“Jesus Christ, _what_?!” Stiles snaps. He blinks, taking a step back. “Oh. Barry? What are you doing h –”

Barry wraps him up in a hug, afraid to let him go. He’s real. He’s solid beneath his hands, warm. Talking. _Alive_.

“ _Woah_ , hey buddy. Not that I’m not glad to see you too, but what are you doing here?” Stiles asks. Barry pulls back reluctantly, and really takes in the sight before him.

Stiles looks like a mess, physically. His hair is ruffled. His shirt is unbuttoned, black swirls crawling towards his collar bone and small bruises on his chest. Behind him, there are a few candles lit, and some clothes strewn on the floor.

 _Oh_.

“I’m so sorry for, um. Interrupting.” He stammers, face heating. Stiles raises an eyebrow and leans against his doorway.

“Mm- _hm_.”

“Really, _very_ sorry.” He doesn’t know where he should look. Stiles’ fly is unzipped. Nowhere is safe.

“Are you okay?” Stiles asks, frowning at him. “You look kind of sick, dude. I’m kinda pissed you interrupted what very well may be the last time I get to have sex with my boyfriend for the next two weeks, but if you’re not okay, we can talk.”

A groan comes from somewhere in the loft.

“Do you have to be so casual about it?” Derek calls. Stiles rolls his eyes.

“We’re god damn adults, Der. It’s very obvious what we were doing.” He raises his voice. “You hear that, Mrs. Spiegelman?! Me and my gay lover were screwing!”

“What did I do to deserve this?” Derek grumbles. He comes into view looking equally disheveled, though thankfully, his pants are buttoned. “Hello, Barry.”

“Hi, Derek.” He smiles weakly. “I’m…okay, really. I just. I had a bad feeling.” He says. Stiles crosses his arms over his chest.

“Are you sure? You can come in, Bar.”

“No, no, I shouldn’t. I’m fine.” He takes a breath. Derek watches him with concern, which is – new. Usually Derek doesn’t show much emotion around him, but lately he’s been more expressive. Stiles told him he just takes a while to warm up to people. It occurs to him, then – the strangled howling in the background, while Caitlin was calling – it must have been Derek. He must have been there, at STAR labs, with her. He saw Stiles’ body.

He’s gonna be sick.

“If you want to sit and gave a glass of water or something, it’s fine. Really, Barry.” Derek tells him. Stiles grins wolfishly.

“Yeah. I can still get it up after you leave, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Barry might actually be as red as his suit right now. Derek rolls his eyes and smacks his boyfriend – _gently_ – on the shoulder. Stiles pouts.

“A-are you sure?” Barry mumbles. Stiles nods, grabbing his hand.

“Yup. Come on. You don’t have to talk about whatever’s bothering you, but sometimes just being around friends helps.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Stiles texts him that he’s going to go pick up his friends from the airport, but he’ll probably stop by the station later. Barry still feels disoriented, even after a night of sleep, but he’s got a better handle on it now, he thinks. He still finds himself blurting out the ends of sentences he’s already heard before, and eh can tell it’s freaking everyone out – good. They can all freak out with him.

“Ah!” Cisco squeezes his eyes shut, slushy in hand.

“Trigeminal headache?” Barry says, right along with Caitlin. She gives him a curious look.

“Mr. Allen?” Wells calls, crowing at him. “A word?”

“Um – yeah, sure.” Barry follows him to their test room.

“You ruptured the time continuum, didn’t you? You’re experiencing Temporal Reversion.” Wells asks, almost angrily. Barry’s eyes widen.

“Yeah!”

“How long?”

“A-a day, and some change. It – it’s like I’m living it all over again.” He stutters. Wells hums.

“Good, that’s good. It means there’s not too much you could have messed up yet.” He looks up at him expectantly. “How did this happen?”

“I-I don’t know. I mean, I-I-I was running, you know, faster than I’ve ever run before, a-and the first time I lived this day, some _really horrible_ shit happened. There was a tidal wave, and –” he rushes, he just – he needs to get it all, someone needs to know, he can’t let this happen again –

“No. Don’t tell me.” Wells cuts him off. He frowns, feeling jittery.

“What? Why not?”

“I do not want to know _anything_ about the future you experienced. Nothing!” He continues. Barry shakes his head, confused.

“Okay, but, Dr. Wells –”

“Barry.” He says firmly. “Time…is an _extremely_ fragile construct. _Any_ deviation, no matter how small, could result in a cataclysm. Now, here’s what you’re going to do. _Everything_ you did before,” Barry stumbles back a step and sits down on the treadmill, running his hands down his face. Wells can’t be serious. “Every word you uttered, every step you took, you will do again. And you’re not going to tell anyone this happened.”

He opens his mouth, to tell him – that’s not possible. He can’t let the same events happen again, he can’t let two of his best friends _die_ –

But Wells is wheeling away before he can.

He barely hears whatever Cisco and Caitlin say to him before he leaves for the station. He feels like he’s watching everything happen around him from a bubble. Like he’s watching a rerun of an episode from his least favorite show. He knows all the lines. He knows how it ends.

He has to change it.

Stiles comes by around the same time, only now, he comes inside. Joe and Barry are still talking about his ‘weird’ behavior, and Barry’s still distracted by Singh, up and talking, when Stiles comes up to him with a smile on his face.

“Hey! Glad I caught you guys before your lunch break. I wanted to introduce you to –”

“Lydia and Cora.” Barry blurts. Stiles cocks his head to the side.

“Um, yeah.” He turns towards the two women, hands stuffed in his pockets. “I guess I do talk about them a lot, huh?”

“Barry Allen. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He holds out a hand, and Lydia smiles.

“Glad to finally – ” She jerks away when their hands touch, eyes wide. It’s almost the exact reaction she had to Cisco, before. Cora reaches out to steady her, clearly worried. “Um, sorry.” She says after a moment, shaking her hand out. “Just a bit of – ”

“Static shock?” Barry guess. Lydia frowns at him.

“Right. Well, as I was saying – nice to put a face to the name. Stiles talks about you a lot. Both of you.” She smiles as Joe. “You might as well be his second dad.”

“Because all I need is another reckless son to worry about.” Joe sighs, patting Stiles’ shoulder fondly. Stiles huffs, but his cheeks are red.

“Like I’ve said a thousand times before –”

“You’re ‘perfectly capable of doing your job’, yeah, I know kid.” He rolls his eyes. “Hey, since you’re here – would you and your friend like to come get lunch with us? Probably going to stop at Big Belly Burger.”

“You guys have a place called ‘Big Belly Burger’?” Cora asks, raising an eyebrow. _Just like last time_ , Barry thinks.

“They’re everywhere.” He and Stiles say at once. Stiles gives him that look again. Lydia’s gaze turns to him, sharp and assessing.

Stiles told him, once, that none of his pack’s humans are ‘really, totally, one hundred percent human’. “ _Not even me_.” He’d said. “ _Deaton – our town’s Vet, super complicated, don’t even ask about it – told me once that I had…a spark. The potential to be something else. But I didn’t really pursue it._ ”

“Actually, Joe, I can’t go out to lunch today.” Barry says.

He is not letting what happened before happen again.

“What? Since when?” Joe frowns. Barry shrugs.

“I’ve got…I have errands to run. I’ll…I’ll catch you all later, okay?”  he turns around, feeling determined.

For the first time since he restarted the day, his head is finally clear. No matter what wells said earlier, he has to do this. He has to change how the next 24 hours go. He’s almost to the elevator when someone’s hand lands on his arm. He spins around.

“Lydia?” he wonders. “What –”

“This version will be better.” She whispers. She looks like she’s seeing right through him. “No matter what the Pretender says – this is _better_.”

“O-okay.” He breathes. She lets him go, blinking a bit. Her gaze finally seems to focus. She smiles wanly, pulling away.

“We’ll see you later, Barry.” She hums, turning back to where Cora, Joe, and Stiles are all talking. Barry frowns, watching her go.

 _Definitely_ not human.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” Wells asks harshly.

Behind him, the cell containing Mark Mardon clangs shut. Barry sighs.

“Yes, I do. I just saved a lot of lives.”

“I warned you not to mess with the timeline.” Wells hisses.

“If you would just let me tell you what was gonna happen, you’d understand why I did this.”

“Whatever tragedy you _think_ you’ve just averted, trust me Barry – time _will_ find a way to replace it, and the next one could be so much worse.” He gives Barry one final disapproving look before wheeling away, and Barry sighs, running a hand down his face. His phone rings in his pocket, and he fumbles with his gloves before answering.

“Hello?”

“Barry? Are you at STAR?” Stiles asks quickly.

“Um, yeah. Actually, I just caught another meta – sorry I didn’t tell you, it was really sudden, and –”

“That’s fine. We have…well, I don’t know if you’d consider this a problem, but it _certainly_ is for me. I’ll meet you there in a sec.” he hangs up before Barry can even react, leaving him staring at his phone in confusion in front of the pipeline. He speeds into the cortex and nearly slams right into a wall he sees an unexpected face. He skids to a halt and slips, landing hard on his back.

“Oh, for the love of –” Stiles groans. Lydia’s face swims into view.

“I knew it.” She says primly. Barry sits up with a wince.

“Wha?”

“Wait, _hold up_.” Cisco says, brows furrowed. “Um, who are you, what are you doing here, and _how_ do you know about us?”

“Team, this is…this is Lydia Martin, a friend of mine from my home town.” Stiles runs a hand through his hair. “Lydia, this is the team. Dr. Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon. He’s the tech guy. And you’ve already met Barry.” He sighs.

“So we’re just telling everyone Barry’s the Flash now?”

“No.” Stiles huffs. Lydia puts her hands on her hips, lips pursed.

“I found out on my own.” She tells them.

“What? How?” Barry asks. He stands up, looking between them. Stiles just shakes his head.

“Because I’m not an idiot?” She rolls her eyes. “It’s fairly obvious, if you think about it. The day Barry woke up from his coma is the same day reports of a golden streak running through Central started. I’ve seen videos of the Flash before – running at the speeds he does, regular clothes would probably have caught on fire, if not completely burned off by the time he got on the scene. Which means this suit isn’t made of any regular old fabric. My guess is some kind of heat and abrasion resistant, reinforced polymer? And some of that tech he’s used – you need resources to get your hands on tech like that – resources that I’m sure a place like STAR Labs has to offer. And I knew Barry was good friends with the people who work here. So. It all adds up.” She finishes with a toss of curled red hair over her shoulder. Caitlin looks impressed.

“She’s good.” She says. Lydia smiles.

“Thank you. It’s not the first time I’ve put together someone’s identity like that, though this was the most upsetting.” She stares hard at Stiles, and looks away. “You told us you came here because you wanted to _get away_ from danger. So imagine my surprise when I realized you’ve thrown yourself right back into it, _Spark_.” She snaps.

“You know what?” Cisco starts towards the exit, hands up. “This sounds like a private conversation. Cait, we should probably head over to my brother’s now?”

“Oh, _yes_. Of course.” Caitlin says, hurrying after him. Once they’re alone, Lydia pokes at Stiles’ chest.

“I can’t _believe_ you!”

“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? I’m not.” Stiles snaps. Barry holds up his hands.

“Wait, just –”

“You lied to me! To the whole pack!” She says angrily. She closes her mouth abruptly, eyeing him. Stiles sighs.

“It’s…it’s fine, Lyds. He knows.”

“Oh? Since when do we tell people our biggest secret without consulting the rest of the pack?”

“Since I _had_ _to_. I had no choice. I promised him I’d help him do something, and I couldn’t lie to Derek.”

“It-it’s my fault.” Barry tells her. “I asked him to help catch this metahuman – begged him, really. I wanted him to stay. If you should be mad at anyone, it’s me.”

She laughs humorlessly, shaking her head.

“That’s nice, but Stiles is a big boy. He can make his own decisions, including deciding to become a _vigilante_.” She stares at him angrily for a moment before smacking his shoulder. Stiles yelps.

“Hey! You didn’t have to hit me!”

“Yes, I did! _God_ , I can’t _believe_ – you swore to me that you would be safe here! You said that – that you moved here because you thought it would be better than living in a town that had a beacon for email. What do you think _this_ is, Stiles? You moved out of one mess of a town and right into another, and you’ve put yourself right at the center. And you _don’t_ have accelerated healing to help you.”

“But I have this.” Stiles holds up his hands, and sparks dance across his fingers. Lydia watches, cautious. “I can defend myself now – a whole lot better than I could in the past. I can _help_. Do you have any idea -”

“I do, actually.” She says softly. He drops his hands. “I’m a Banshee, remember? I see death. And I have done _everything_ in my power to keep the people around me safe.”

“Wait, a banshee?” Barry raises an eyebrow. “Like…like the myth?”

“Yes.” She eyes him. “Don’t worry. The stories aren’t entirely accurate. Thought my screams _are_ deadly.”

“Like the canary cry.” He breathes. She hums.

“Hmm. Maybe. We’ll have to test that.”

“Lydia.” Stiles whispers. She closes her eyes. “Please…don’t tell the rest of the pack.”

“You can’t ask that of me.” She sighs. Barry fidgets.

“What about me?” he asks. She looks up at him.

“What?”

“I…I can’t of don’t want anyone else knowing my secret identity. You won’t tell your, um. Pack. Will you?”

“Please, Lyds.” Stiles says. She narrows her eyes, looking between them. Finally, she lets out a breath, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, fine.”

“Thank you.” Barry breathes. She shakes her head.

“I…may know the importance of secrets, as much as I despise them. I don’t like when people spill mine – I won’t do the same to you.” She stares at him, expression firm. “But Barry?”

“Yes?”

“If _anything_ happens to Stiles, I _will_ hurt you.”

He gulps, and Stiles rolls his eyes.

“I…don’t doubt it.” He stammers out. She grins.

“Good.” She turns around. “I’ll be waiting in the car – you owe me a shopping trip, Stilinski. And I expect you to pay.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

He spends a bit more time at STAR, trying to figure out how he could have possibly traveled back in time, before going home. He tries multiple times to explain to Dr. Wells why it was so important that he change the timeline, but he doesn’t want to hear it. He runs as fast as his legs will go, but it doesn’t seem to send him back another thirty-six hours like it did last time. When he gets home, he throws himself down on the couch with a groan, and lets himself think about what he hasn’t since the tsunami.

_ Stiles: _

**Hey**

**Can u talk?**

_ U can’t call Derek and Cora will overhear _

_ But I’m free to text _

Barry pauses.

**Promise u wont make fun of me**

_ I’ll try my best _

**I don’t think I’m in love w Iris anymore**

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

Barry sighs, throwing his arm over his eyes. _Of course_ this is the one time – the time Barry needs him the most – that Stiles is speechless.

_ What do u mean _

He thinks for a moment. He can’t very well say ‘because I kiss her tomorrow and realize there’s no spark between us and my crush as really just been a result of proximity all these years’. He’s not sure if he should tell the rest of the team about the whole time-travel thing yet, if ever.

**I think I just liked the idea of loving someone who knows me so well**

**But she’s with Eddie now and**

**I don’t think it bothers me**

_ Well good for you dude!!!!!!! _

_ U can go on a real date now _

_ Maybe hit up Linda again  _

_ ;) _

He shakes his head.

**Linda and I will only ever b just friends**

**Sorry**

_ Hmmm _

_ Ill find someone for u Barry Allen _

_ Just u wait _

**LOL**

**U don’t have to**

_ If ur happy alone then that’s cool _

_ But I KNOW U bar _

_ U hate being alone _

Well. He’s not wrong. But the idea of dating anyone right now also sounds…exhausting. Between his day job and being the Flash, he doubts he’ll have any time to go out. And all the lies he’d have to tell…

**I’m good for now**

**Thank you**

_ No problem _

He stares up at the ceiling, thinking.

The next day, he and Iris stop at jitters for lunch. Derek is working that day, which makes this…somewhat awkward. But he trusts he wont listen in if he can help it.

After about fifteen minutes, she takes a breath.

“So. What’s going on with you?” She asks, taking a sip of her coffee. He cocks his head ot the side.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re acting like you’d rather be anywhere else but here.” She points out. He sighs. She puts a hand on his arm, expression concerned. “Hey. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me. And if you have somewhere else to be, don’t let me keep you.”

“It’s not that, it’s…” he takes a deep breath. “Iris, I was in love with you.” He blurts. She blinks at him.

“Oh.” She says softly, looking at him in shock. Her hand stills.

“Yeah.” He whispers.

“You…Barry…”

“I was in love with you for… _years_. I don’t even know when it started. But I’ve realized, recently, that it’s never going to happen.” He smiles softly at her. “You’re amazing, Iris. You’re smart, beautiful, driven. You’re my best friend. And I think I might have been confusing those feelings for romantic love, but…I was wrong.” He pulls back. “I’m not telling you to make things between us awkward. I do that well enough on my own, I just – I don’t know why I told you, to be honest.” He laughs a little, because this? Is absurd. Why is he doing this?

“I’m…I’m glad you told me.” She says after a moment. “You know – I always kind of knew. You’re not very subtle, Bar.” He laughs.

“Yeah. So I’ve been told.”

“This is why you and Linda broke up, isn’t it?” She asks.

“Yeah, um. She thought I was hung up on you. I thought I was. But…still. We were never going to work out. We’re friends, now, and it’s nice. But we’re not really compatible like that. But it’s okay – I’m not looking for anyone right now.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Honey, if you weren’t, you wouldn’t have told me all of this. I lived in the same house as you for 8 years, Bar. I think I know you better than you know yourself, at this point.”

He hopes the sadness at how false that statement is doesn’t show on his face.

 _You don’t know everything anymore, Iris_. He thinks listening to her move onto the story she’s currently working on.

_I wish I could tell you._

 

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of his day goes by smoothly. The team meets up for drinks at the end of the night, despite the fact that Barry can’t technically drink. He watches his friends talk and laugh around him, content.

The time when the tsunami would have hit came and went without anything bad happening. The city is safe. Cisco and Stiles are _alive_.

Wells was wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it!I very much deviated from cannon in this second bit, but i have plans, don't worry. In the show, the consequences of changing the time line happened pretty much immediately, but like the idea that it just adds up to a bigger disaster later. So i'll let the super kids be happy...for now :)
> 
> Also, i figured out how to add images to the fics, so! I'll be adding art to the next one!
> 
> And finally, i think i know which Barry ship i'm gonna go with.
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! Thanks so much for your support!


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